President Tinubu seeks cooperation of Ogoni with pledges of fairness as oil exploration begins
President Bola Tinubu
President Tinubu seeks cooperation of Ogoni with pledges of fairness as oil exploration begins
President Bola Tinubu, in a call for unity and collaboration, urged the people of Ogoniland to embrace mutual trust, expand consultations, and work together to bring peace, development, and environmental restoration to the region.
Tinubu said his administration would prioritise peace, justice, and sustainable development in the area.
The President said this during a closed-door meeting with the leaders of Ogoniland led by the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed details of the meeting in a statement he signed Monday titled ‘President Tinubu pledges peace, justice, development in Ogoniland.’
At the meeting, President Tinubu passionately called for unity and reconciliation, urging the Ogoni people to set aside historical grievances and work together to achieve peace, development, and a clean environment.
“We must work together with mutual trust. Go back home, do more consultations, and embrace others.
“We must make this trip worthwhile by bringing peace, development, and a clean environment back to Ogoniland,” President Tinubu said.
“We cannot in any way rewrite history, but we can correct some anomalies of the past going forward. We cannot heal the wounds if we continue to be angry,” he added.
Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to coordinate the negotiations as he called for inclusive consultation and mutual understanding.
The President commended the delegation for embracing the Federal Government-led dialogue and emphasised the need for collaboration, trust, and inclusiveness to resolve lingering issues in the region.
He asked ministers, the NNPCL, and the Rivers State Government to cooperate with the Office of the National Security Adviser to achieve this mandate.
Tinubu told his guests, “It is a great honour for me to have this meeting, which is an opportunity to have a dialogue with the people of Ogoniland.
“It has been many years since your children and myself partnered to resist military dictatorship in this country. No one dreamt I would be in this chair as President, but we thank God.
“Many of your sons present here were my friends and co-travellers in the streets of Nigeria, Europe, and America. I know what to do in memory of our beloved ones so that their sacrifices will not be in vain,” the President said.
Governor Fubara thanked the President for his support of the Ogoni people and for welcoming an all-inclusive representation of the people to the Presidential Villa.
He said the meeting was a follow-up to an assignment the President gave him through the National Security Adviser.
Emphasising the importance of resuming oil operations in Ogoniland, the governor pledged the delegation’s commitment to adhering to the President’s instructions and providing the necessary support to achieve the government’s objectives.
“What we are doing here today is to concretise the love and respect we have for the President for being behind this meeting and for him to tell us to go back and continue the consultations with a timeline so that the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland will commence,” Fubara said.
For his part, the National Security Adviser commended the Ogoni people for their trust in President Tinubu and for embracing dialogue as a path to meaningful progress and enduring solutions.
“Guided by Mr. President’s vision that every voice is heard and every interest is considered, my office, the DSS, the government of Rivers State and the Minister of FCT embarked on a diligent and consultative process to assemble this delegation,” Ribadu said.
He noted that the over 50-member delegation that met with the President reflected the rich diversity of Ogoni society, representing various constituencies, interests, and viewpoints.
“The presence of this delegation is a testament to the Ogoni people’s readiness to engage constructively in the pursuit of peace, justice, and sustainable development,” he noted.
A representative of the Ogoni leadership, King Festus Babari Bagia Gberesaako XIII, the Gberemene of Gokana Kingdom, expressed the community leaders’ willingness to engage in the process of finding lasting solutions to the lingering challenges in Ogoniland.
Although Fubara and the Ogoni delegation arrived earlier, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, later joined the meeting.
Addressing State House Correspondents afterwards, the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, said the President assigned the National Security Adviser to coordinate efforts, with the former and current River State Governors in attendance.
Momoh said the meeting also addressed the resumption of petroleum exploration and the cleanup of Ogoni land.
“Mr. President has already given the assignment to the National Security Adviser to coordinate that and also urge all the stakeholders in Ogoni land to cooperate with the National Security Adviser with a view to bringing peace to the Ogoni land,” Momoh explained.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, said the Federal Government aimed to conclude the Ogoni cleanup within three to four years, with half of the project completed.
The delegation included Senators Lee Maeba, Magnus Abe, Olaka Nwogu, Victor Giadom, Kenneth Kobani, Monsignor Pius Kii, Leedom Mitee, Senators Bennett Birabi, Barry Mpigi, Kenneth Kobani, and Prof. B. Fakae, among others.
Also in attendance were the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed; Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh; Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas; and the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari.
